Soho, Vinings, Atlanta, GA Restaurant Review

Soho restaurant opened up in 1997 and is still located in it’s original location, in the Vinings Jubilee shopping center off of Paces Ferry Road in the heart of Vinings. Soho remains one of the few unique restaurants in the area, incorporating Asian, Southwestern and South American influences into its Modern American menu. In my never-ending quest to be trying out new Atlanta Restaurants, I realized it had been about four years since I last dined at Soho. So, I was pretty stoked when Soho restaurant reached out to me, and invited me to join them for dinner.

Settling in to out table, we perused the menu and I settled on a cucumber cocktail which was refreshing and hit the spot on this hot summer day. But if you are a wine lover, do sample at least one glass from the extensive and well-planned menu. If you need help, ask your server as they are quite skilled at offering pairings, at least mine was.

Back in the day, Soho had a menu item I just couldn’t resist and ordered on each visit. The Tuna Two Ways; one was an Ahi Tuna and the other was tempura battered if I am remembering correctly. I have fond memories of that dish. Although the Tuna Two Ways is no longer available, the appetizers menu is loaded with items that make it difficult to choose.

Lucky for me, we had four in our party. If I had the appetite, I would have loved to have sampled everything on the appetizer menu. I so wanted to try the Poke tuna, and lucked out when the Chef sent an amuse bouche of Ahi Tuna over to our table. What a beautiful pink color. It tastes just as good as it looks. And the side of beans isn’t just for show, it’s a great pairing to the tuna.

Being a seafood lover, the mussels and poached shrimp appetizers were also calling my name. Luck was on my side again, as the special that evening was mix of seafood (mussels, shrimp and octopus) in a white wine broth. At only $5, this dish is extremely reasonable for the price. The portion is really good for one, but if you order four appetizers like we did, you can make it work for two. All the seafood was perfectly done, and I know sometimes Octopus can get rubbery or tough, but it was cooked just right. While I was tempted to soak up the broth in bread, I went easy, to save me appetite.

We also ordered the Salmon Thai, Beef Carpaccio and Fried Green Tomatoes. While I liked the Fried Green Tomatoes, I just had a nibble, really focusing more on the other seafood / meat apps. The Beef Carpaccio was was tasty and pretty filling. The use of the shaved Asiago cheese is a nice departure from the usual Parmesan cheese. And the creamy dijon sauce drizzled atop makes for a pretty presentation, but the Carpaccio is tasty enough to stand on its own.

If you are a fan of crab meat and brie, then don’t miss the crab and brie quesadilla. I’ve had it in the past and it’s a winning flavor combo. But instead of that, I chose to order the Salmon Thai which is a little more unusual and complex. It is a piece of Salmon in a thai pesto sauce (recipe available here) with a citrus sauced drizzled over top.

Moist and flaky, this was another hit in the seafood department. The pesto is really Thai in it’s DNA, consisting of basil, mint, cilantro, lemongrass and peanuts. The pesto and citrus flavors both serve to enhance the salmon, not overpowering it, allowing the all the flavors to come through bite after bite. And if you are looking for something light to have, you could totally order this as an entree and add a side of rice (tomato-basil risotto recommended) and it would be perfect. Definitely worth 8 bucks.

My dad ordered the crab cakes and my aunt ordered the chicken, neither of which I tried myself, but they both had no leftovers, and were very complimentary of the meal. Judging by the looks of the crab cakes, they are mostly lump crab sans any unnecessary filler. I did steal a taste of my dad’s tomato-basil risotto that accompanied his crab cakes – so much flavor packed into that side dish.

Steak:

Seabass:

Glen ordered a steak special which he seemed very pleased with. I had a bite and loved how tender it was. It had some South American spices on it, which went well with his rice and beans. I’ve had the Seabass a handful of times at Soho, and this time was no different. It is slightly crisp on the outside and cutting into it gives way to the buttery insides. Yum. It’s always been done exactly right each and every time I’ve ordered it. Oh and I love the Edamame ravioli that it served with it, which I don’t ever remember having in the past. Just like it sounds, it is crushed edamame cooked inside the ravioli – how unique!

Lastly, we were treated to the dessert platter: an assortment of 4 of the most popular desserts at Soho. This consisted of the Peach Cobbler, NY Cheesecake, Strawberry Sorbet and Chocolate Bread pudding. The four of us loved all the desserts, but oddly enough each had a different favorite. My aunt liked the Peach Cobbler the best. Nice that it actually had lots of peach in it. Don’t you hate when you order cobbler and you end up hunting for the fruit bits?

My favorite was the cheesecake. And I found out that Soho has this made specially for them from a local baker who’s originally from NY. My dad found the Sorbet to be the most appealing. Light and fresh, it is the perfect summer treat! And Glen, while usually never a fan of Bread Pudding liked that the best. I will say it is not exactly like traditional bread pudding but more like an extremely moist chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel.

During the course of our dinner we were introduced to Soho’s friendly owner, Susan Smith. And I noticed her many times throughout the evening, walking around, making sure everything was running smoothly. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to rediscover Soho. If you haven’t been in a while, you are overdue for a visit. And if you’ve you’ve never been, you’re about to discover a hidden gem in Vinings.